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Union Square tech center gets final approval from City Council

The Union Square Tech Training Center was unanimously approved by the City Council on Wednesday, despite concerns from local residents that the development of the 21-story building will lead to the construction of more high-rises in the area.

The building, which is planned for the site of a now-shuttered P.C. Richard and Son at 124 E. 14th St. between Third and Fourth avenues, will house a digital skills training center run by the nonprofit Civic Hall, office spaces for startups and established tech companies, an event space and retail stores.

Civic Hall was recently given $100,000 from Microsoft to go toward the training center, which aims to create an avenue to good-paying jobs for people who don’t have access to the education needed to work in the technology industry.

The Tech Training Center was proposed by the de Blasio administration as part of the mayor’s “New York Works” initiative and is expected to create more than 600 jobs, according to the city’s Economic Development Corporation. It has gotten support from the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and the Real Estate Board of New York, among other groups.